Tawau: Tawau Puteri Umno is bitter with Datuk Osman Jamal, the newly elected Balung Assemblyman, for abandoning Umno and the Barisan Nasional soon after winning the general election on the coalition's ticket.Its chief, Nazliah Ali, said in a statement that what hurts them most was that Osman defected to Parti Warisan and its partners PKR and DAP without consulting the BN election machinery which campaigned hard for him "day and night" to ensure he would win.

She said Osman has, thus, betrayed his voters. "We're very hurt that he has betrayed us," she said.

Nazliah said she refused to believe that Osman had defected despite being told earlier, before news broke that Tanjung Batu assembly member Datuk Hamisa Samat and Sebatik's Datuk Abdul Muis Picho had crossed over.

"I only believed after Parti Warisan President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal made an official announcement," she said after chairing a special meeting with the movement's committee members, Tuesday.

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The purpose of the meeting was to explain to her members about Osman's defection and the current political situation.

Despite BN's loss in Tawau parliamentary and Sri Tanjung state seats, Nazliah was glad that the coalition still managed to defend Apas, being their promise to the late Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan, the former incumbent.

She regretted they lost Balung through Osman's defection.

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During the meeting, she said Tawau Puteri Umno members unanimously decided to leave it to Apas Assemblyman cum Acting Tawau Umno division chief, Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan (the late Tawfiq's younger brother), to decide on their next direction.

Osman's defection has left Nizam as the only BN representative in the east coast.

He is expected to chair the party's divisional meeting on Wednesday. - Lagatah Toyos